This document discusses the rules for changing direct speech into indirect speech in English. It covers five types of sentences: assertive, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and optative sentences. For each type, it provides examples of direct speech and the corresponding indirect speech. It also discusses specific rules for changing pronouns, verbs, adverbs, and other elements of speech depending on the type of sentence. The document aims to clearly explain the grammatical changes required when rephrasing direct quotes as indirect reported statements.

1. C
DIRECT AND
INDIRECT SPEECH
BY: MRS. PRECILLA C. STEPHEN

2. INTRODUCTION
• Language may be used in direct or indirect speech.
• In life, we mostly use indirect speech.
• There are certain rules to be followed to change direct speech into
indirect.
• A few rules are common to all kinds of sentences.
• There are five kinds of sentences. Each one has its sets of rules to be
followed to change direct into indirect speech.

3. ASSERTIVE SENTENCES : RULES
•“ “ will be removed.
•Change in verbs in Reported Speech.
•Changes in personal pronoun.
•Change in Reporting verb.

4. Change in verb of reported speech
Rule 1: If reporting verb is in past, the verbs of reported speech will
be changed into past.
Ex: He said, “ The doctor is in”.
Indirect: He said that the doctor was in.
Exceptions:
1.If the reported speech shows universal truth.
2.If the reported speech shows habit.
3.Ex: the said to the patient, “ Health is wealth”.
Indirect: The nurse told the patient that health is wealth.

5. 2. The doctor said, “ An alcoholic can’t live without liquor”.
Indirect : The doctor said that an alcoholic can’t live without liquor.
Rule 2: If the reported verb is in present or future tense, the reported speech may be in any
tense.
1. The doctor will say, “ Stale food may cause cholera”.
Indirect : The doctor will say that stale food may cause cholera.
2. The nurse says to the patient, “ you have chronic conjunctivitis resulting from ultra violet
radiation”.
Indirect: The nurse tells the patient that he has chronic conjunctivitis resulting from ultra
violet radiation.

6. Change in Personal Pronoun
• There are three persons of personal pronoun.
Person Subject Object Possessive
I Person I, We Me, us My-mine, our-
ours
II Person You You Your – yours
III Person He, she, it, they Him, her, it,
them
His, her, its,
their

7. Rule to change personal pronoun
• The following rule ay help the student to change pronouns of reported speech. ‘SON’ is a
word consisting of 3 letters.
SON – Reporting verb
I, II, III – Reported speech
S – Subject of reporting verb
O – Object of reporting verb
N – No change
No object – 3rd person in Reporting verb

8. POINT: First person of reported speech is changed according to the
person of subject of reported verb. IInd person of reporting verb is
changed according to the object of reporting verb. No change in III
person.

9. EXCERCISE
• You said to me, “I am not doing your work”.
• You said, “ I am your friend”.
• Humanyun said, “ Now you are not my general”.
• His teacher said, “ You are a fool”.
• His mother said, “ I want you to get first division”.
• John said to me, “ you should consult your family doctor”.
• The nurse said to the patient, “ You should co-operate with me”.
• Winston Churchill said, “ You are a fool to praise Rommel, the field Marshal of Hitler”.
• I have said to him, “ I want to be a ophthalmologist”.
• You said to us, “ You must see our physician”.
• The nurse will say to you, “ You should keep your room clean”.
• The neurosurgeon said, “ Your blood clot is not much big”.

10. 2. INTERROGATIVE SENTENCES
1. Starting with ‘wh-words’ ( who, which, when,
where, whom, what, why, how etc. in reported
speech).
2. Starting with helping verbs/ Answerable in
‘yes/no’ (is, am, are, was, were, can, could, will,
shall, do, does, did, may etc)
1. The doctor said to the nurse,” Which injection
will you give to the patient?”
Indirect: The doctor asked the nurse which
injection she would give to the patient.
1. The patient said to the nurse, “ Is the doctor
in?”
Indirect: The patient asked the nurse If the
doctor was in.
2. The patient said to the nurse, “ Who is my
doctor?”
Indirect: The patient asked the nurse who his
doctor was.
2. The patient said to the doctor, “ Am I
from mucous fibrosis?”
Indirect: The patient asked the doctor if he was
suffering from mucous fibrosis.

11. Point: Sentences within reported speech having
‘do/does/did’ without ‘not’: do/does/did will be
removed.
If ‘do/does/did’ has ‘not’ : ‘do/does/did’ will
remain (did not + V1 may change into had not +
V3)
Point: Sentence within reported speech starting
with ‘Do/Does/Did’ without ‘not’ : ‘ DO/does/did
is removed. If there is ‘not’ with ‘Do/Does/Did’,
‘Do/Does/Did’ is not removed.
1. The Cardiologist said to him, “ Why did you
consult a nephrologist in Cardiac problem?”
Indirect: The Cardiologist asked him why he
consulted a nephrologist in Cardiac problem.
1. The nurse said to the patient, “Do you take the
medicine regularly?”
Indirect: The nurse asked the patient if he look the
medicine regularly. `
2. The nurse said to the patient, “ How do you feel
now after your aortoiliac by pass surgery?”
Indirect: The nurse asked the patient how he felt after
his aortoiliac by pass surgery.
2. John said to me. “ Do you rely on allopathy?”
Indirect: John asked me if I relied on allopathy.
Rules: 1. Reporting verb used: ask (ed)/ inquire (d)
2. wh-word is conjunction
Rules: Reporting verb in indirect – ask(ed)
2. Conjunction: If/Whether

12. IMPERATIVE SENTENCES
1. Order
2. Request
3. Advice
4. Sentences starting with ‘Let’ in reported speech.
I. Order
A. Positive order: Sentence starts with V1 in reported speech
Ex: The nurse said to the ward boy, “ Open all the windows of the room for ventilation”.
Indirect: The nurse ordered the ward boy to open all the windows of the room for
ventilation.
2. Alexander the great said to his commander, “ Be prepared to attack Persia”.
Indirect: Alexander the great ordered his commander to be prepared to attack Persia.

13. B. NEGATIVE ORDER: Starting with “ Don’t or Never” within reported speech.
If the reported speech starts with ‘Don’t + V1’ in indirect form, ‘Do’ is removed .
‘Reporting verb + not to + V1+……….’
If there is ‘never’ – ‘Reporting verb + never + V1+…………’
Ex:
1. The doctor said to the ward boy. “Don’t allow anyone to enter the operation theatre.”
Indirect: The doctor ordered the ward boy not to allow anyone to enter the operation theatre.
2. Joseph Stalin said to his daughter Swetlana, “ Never dance with that young man again”.
Indirect: Joseph Stalin ordered his daughter Swetlana never to dance with that young man
again.

14. 2. REQUEST
a. Sentences starting with “Please/Kindly + V1” in reported speech.
Indirect: Subject + request(ed) + (object)1 + to + V1 + ………(please/kindly
will be removed).
Ex: the patient said to the nurse, “ Please take my B.P.”.
Indirect: The patient requested the nurse to take his B.P.

15. b. Sentences starting with “Will you please + V1 ……………?” in reported
speech.
Indirect: S2 + request (ed)+ (object)3 + to + V1+……………..” (would/could
you will be removed in direct form)
1. The patient said to the nurse, “ Will you please give me the injection of
gentamycin”.
Indirect: The patient requested the nurse to give him the injection of
gentamycin.

16. c. Sentences starting with “ Would/could you + V1+ ……………?”
in reported speech.
Indirect : S + request (ed) + (object) + to + V1 +
…………..(would/could you will be removed in indirect form).
Ex: The patient said to the radiologist, “ Would you write the report
of my ultrasound of urethra and prostate gland?”
Indirect: The patient requested the radiologist to write the report of
his (patient) ultrasound of urethra and prostate gland.

17. d. Sentence starting with ‘Let’ in ‘reported speech’, reporting verb takes
requested/advised/asked/ordered according to the sense of the sentence.
Ex:
1. The nurse said to the patient, “ Let me give you injection”.
Indirect: The nurse asked the patient to let her give him injection.
(asked may be used for doubtful request/order or advice)
2. The doctor said to the visitor, “ Let the patient lie in peace”.
Indirect: The doctor advised the visitor to let the patient lie in peace.

18. 3. ADVICE
Sentence in reported speech starts with V1, if positive; or with Don’t V1/Never + v1, if negative;
Reporting verb used is ‘advised’ (There is some kind of advice in reported speech)
Ex: 1. The nephrologist said to the kidney patient, “ Avoid taking nephrotoxic medicines injurious
to kidney”.
Indirect: The nephrologist advised the kidney patient to avoid taking nephrotoxic medicines
injurious to kidney.
2. The cardiologist said to the patient, “ Never take fatty diet, a cause of M.I,”.
Indirect: The cardiologist advised the patiet never to take fatty diet, a cause of M.I.

19. 4. EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES
• These sentences show strong emotions of sorrow, joy, anger etc.
A. Sentences that have Exclamations at the start:
Direct speech sentence with “Ah/Alas! + ………….”
Indirect: S + exclaim (ed) with sorrow that + indirect form of remaining sentence.
Direct speech sentence with “Hurrah!”
Indirect: S + exclaim (ed) with joy that + indirect form of remaining sentence.
Direct speech sentence with “Bravo!”
Indirect: S + applauded + (object) + saying that + indirect form of remaining sentence.

20. Ex:
1. He said, “ Alas! I have failed”.
Indirect: He exclaimed with sorrow that he had failed.
2. She said, “ Hurrah! I have been selected for the nursing course”.
Indirect: She exclaimed with joy that she had been selected for the nursing course.
3. He said, “ Oh! So sister Jane is not here”.
Indirect: He exclaimed that sister Jane was not there.
4. The doctor said to his patient, “ Bravo! You are recuperating”.
Indirect: The doctor applauded his patient saying that he was recuperating.

21. Sentences starting with “How/What a +…….!”
Ex:
1. The nurse said to the patient, “ How weak you have grown!”.
Indirect: The nurse exclaimed that the patient had grown very weak.
2. The patient said, “ What a caring nurse she is!”.
Indirect: The patient exclaimed that she was a very caring nurse.
3. The patient said to the doctor, “ How nice of you!”
Indirect: The patient exclaimed that the doctor was very nice.

22. EXCERCISE
• The patient said, “ Alas! I have malignancy”.
• The patient said, “ Hurrah! I am going to be relieved after a long illness”.
• The doctor said, “ Oh! It is some mysterious illness as yet unknown to medical
science”.
• The nurse said to the patient, “ Bravo! You are convalescing”.
• The patient said, “ What a convalescent diet!.
• The patient said, “ How useful the sea side is for recuperation!”
• He said to the matron, “ How nice of you matron!”

23. 5. OPTATIVE SENTENCES
1.Sentences having ‘wish’
A.On meeting someone:
Direct: “Good morning”/”Good evening”/etc.
Indirect: S + wish(ed) + (O) + good morning/etc.
Ex: The patient said to the matron, “Good morning”.
Indirect: The patient wished the matron good morning.

24. B. On parting from someone:
Direct: “Good bye”/”Good Night”/ “Farewell”
Indirect: S1 + bid/bade/has bidden + O2 good-bye.
Ex:
1.He said to his friend, “Good-bye”.
Indirect: He bade his friend good-bye.

25. C. Direct : “Thanks”
Indirect : S + thank (ed) + O + ………..
Ex:
1.The patient said to the nurse, “ Thanks for looking after me
during my stay in hospital”.
Indirect: The patient thanked the nurse for looking after him
during his stay in hospital.

26. D. Direct: “Happy Birthday/etc”.
Indirect: S + wished + (O) + happy birthday/etc.
Ex:
1.He said to his friend, “ Happy Birthday”.
Indirect: He wished his friend happy birthday

27. E. Direct: “Congratulations + on + ……..
Indirect: S + congratulate(d) + (O) + on + ……
Ex:
1.The doctor said to the patient, “ Congratulations on
successful kidney transplantation”.
Indirect: The doctor congratulated the patient on successful
kidney transplantation.

28. 2. Sentences starting with ‘may’ and ending in ‘!’
The reporting verb takes ‘wished/prayed/cursed’ according to sentence.
Indirect: S1 + wished/prayed + that + S2 + may/might+ V1 +………(object in direct
speech is shifted after ‘that’ in indirect speech).
Ex:
1. The nurse said to the patient, “ May you convalesce soon!”.
Indirect: The nurse wished that the patient might convalesce soon.
2. The matron said, “ May you get well”.
Indirect: The matron prayed that he might get well.

29. 3. The old woman said to him, “ May you go to hell”.
Indirect: The old woman cursed him that he might go to hell.
4. The people said, “ Long live our king!” (“May our king live
long!”)
Indirect: The people prayed that their king might live long.

30. EXERCISE 1: Change into Indirect
1.The nurse will say, “ May you recuperate soon!”
2.The nurse said to the T.B. patient, “How lean and thin you are !”
3.The neurosurgeon said, “ What a big blood clot it is!”
4.The relieved patient said to the nurse, “Good – bye, sister!”
5.The patient said to sister Clara, “ Good morning”.
6.The nurse switched off the light of the ward and said to the
patient, “Good night”.
7.The angry general said to the soldier, “Go to hell!”

31. EXERCISE 2: Change into Indirect
1. He said to me, “ I need your help”.
2. You have said to me, “ You are not my friend”.
3. The boy said to me, “ What do you want”.
4. I said to him, “ Do you like my work”.
5. She has said to me, “ Is it your thermometer?”
6. The patient said to the nurse, “ Please take my temperature”.
7. The nurse said to the patient, “ What a fast pulse he has!”
8. The patient said, “ Hurrah! My Eliza H.I.V. test is negative”.
9. The nurse said to the patient, “ May I take your B.P.?’
10.The nephrologist said to the patient, “ Congratulations! It is the case only of ARF
not CRF”.